ARTWORK DETAILS

Jaida Baggaley Lourdes Hill College (Hawthorne)
Njimegen (collection), Nan and Opa Tapestry collection
Various sizes, mixed media on cotton: oil pastel, ink and print, felt, charcoal, transparencies, muslin cloth.

ARTIST STATEMENT

Njimegen (collection) encapsulates the memories of my great grandmother and grandfather’s homeplace. In the work of Nan, St Stephen’s Church draws connections to my Nan’s experiences in the aftermath of World War II and communicates a narrative of her life. Similarly, Opa echoes my Grandfather revisiting the streets of his childhood home, through layering multiple perspectives and textures of the environment. In this installation the artworks swing together from a Hills Hoist, an icon of Australian suburbia. A place where their life journey ultimately led.

ARTWORK PROCESS

Prior to the making of this collection, I collaged photos from my trip to recall experiences of visiting Njimegen, including sketches I drew while I was there and inspired practices. I then experimented with layering using clear transparencies to overlay different perspectives. This resulted in the collaging of mixed media, and techniques such as print and dry needle felting in my work to draw attention to specific aspects of place and time.

ABOUT THE ARTIST

Jaida Baggaley

As an artist, my work tends to focus on experiences of travel, and I draw inspiration from the architecture and botany of where I visit. In this case, I visited the Netherlands last year with my family and had the opportunity to experience these places with my granddad, while he shared his stories and memories. After school I hope to pursue a career in design at QUT, as I wish to continue challenging my creativity.